This year my reviewing
load took a turn for the lighter… too many
distractions from work and family limited not only
my time, but also the energies required to spend the
requisite time such a review load would require.
Even so, I did find that there were some special
items that passed through our doors and so, here is
what I found to really be notable and worthy of
recognition…

Quad Braid USB cable
from Elijah Audio

Out of Adelaide, South
Australia, the Quad USB cable is a wonderful product
that simply is… wonderful in every way. And at under
$200 it is a steal. I simply love this USB cable…
musical, dynamic, quiet as all get out, whatever…
you pretty much get it all.

Based around Audience
cryo'd copper wire, use of cotton tubing for
vibration damping while addressing noise rejection
by way of a tight four way braid… all combined with
some Peter Belt products results in pure magic.
Kudos. Review soon.

The Qv2 and Qx4 from
Nordost - Qx4 $2699.99 each, Qv2 $350 each

The speakers disappear
that much more, instruments and textures take on
even more presence and definable space, the
sensation of the room being pressurized is more
readily apparent and appreciated, timing and rhythm
is even more involving… like there is less of that
something in the way: a lot less of that something.
I hear more with, than without. I hear more of the
music, but what is cool is that I don't hear a
change to the music. There is no shifting of
whatever so this stands out from that—no harmonic or
tonal emphasis or de-emphasis. Neither do the units
soften or edit what is there. There is no sense of
there being a sameness to the music when they are in
the system—you know, the way some devices can make
everything sound dull or bland by taking away the
life and sparkle, or by adding some sonic signature
of their own into or onto the music. No, the Q
products just do what they do to the AC, thereby
allowing for more of the music to be felt and
appreciated. I like what they do. Not necessarily
affordable, but they do work as advertised – here at
least.

The Oyaide Continental
5S USB is a well balanced and highly musical USB
cable where nothing jumps out at you. Neither lean
nor mean tonally, though slightly on the richer side
harmonically (warmer than colder and heavier than
lighter), I like this cable a lot. It has caused
quite a stir here when in use… it really makes the
music flow stirring not only emotions, but one's
feet.

the Giro is a wonderful
table that offers the end user so much for
relatively little when compared to what other tables
are running for these days. Sure, there are many
tables that are considerably less, and I will freely
admit that many are unfamiliar to me, but the Giro
is no such table… I would add it to any list for
anyone in the market for a table to live with for,
well… forever as it should last a life time. Easy to
set up and to use… no glitches, no problems, the
table worked from the get go. Simple and elegant.
Highly recommended.

The Stein Music
Harmonizers, Stones, and Diamonds - The H2A is $1100
each, the H2B is $1195 each, the Magic Stones are
$50 each, the Blue Diamonds are $350 each, and the
Black Diamonds are $185 each.

Dynamics, clarity,
palpable presence, excitement, definition, air,
decay, extension, articulation, less distortion,
louder, quieter, 3D soundstage, natural, rich,
texture, warm, fast, transmission, timbre,
immersion, space, tactile, engagement, propulsion,
ease, etc… everything is there in abundance…
everything is here. And in a very good way. So far
anyone who has visited while the Harmonizers have
been here were all impressed. Some to the point that
on a few occasions it turned into a wild listening
session where, with the right music, we are pretty
much transported to another place.

They present the music
as it is with a wonderful sense of kindness,
openness, and no hidden pretense. They leave it
alone by not adding to or subtracting from… nor do
they spotlight any one area. Like Stuart, what you
see is what you get… or hear. The T8s offer you a
big friendly presentation.

The T8s are all quite
there. They do it right, presenting the music in a
very-well balanced manner, imparting as little
insult to injury as one can. Nothing jumps out at
you and nothing detracts from the music. They are
truthful and organic in the sense of not being
analytical or artificial … artificial in terms of
some slight aberrations or character of coloration.

In my other life as a
6th grade public school teacher, the T8s remind me
of me of one of my top students... smart, always on
task, never being rude or offensive, well spoken,
polite, and so impressive. Well done, Stuart!

An amazingly affordable
way to get the music out into the room... faults? So
few that why quibble. For that money... wow, a great
entry point for anyone wanting a real good shot at
what one can get from many of the better preamps out
there. Review soon.

Audioquest Dragonfly
- $249.98

Another amazingly good
product for anyone who wants 95% of what can be
attained for like almost nothing. What a killer
product. Review soon.